North Korea has just launched a spy satellite, the Malligyong-1, into orbit. According to the North's official KCNA news agency, a rocket lifted off on Tuesday night and followed the planned trajectory. For Pyongyang, "the launch of a reconnaissance satellite is a legitimate right of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to strengthen its self-defense capabilities," while the country still considers itself threatened by South Korea and the United States.
The country even plans to quickly launch more such satellites to bolster its surveillance capabilities in South Korea. The announcement comes as Seoul is also set to launch a spy satellite soon via a Space X rocket.
South Korea immediately retaliated by announcing the partial suspension of a military agreement signed with North Korea on September 19, 2018 to reduce tensions along the highly secure inter-Korean border, including by creating maritime "buffer zones." A South Korean government spokesman, however, said Seoul had not been able to notify Pyongyang directly of the suspension because "lines of communication with North Korea are severed."
A simple satellite?
The launch of the satellite was also condemned by the United States, Japan and the United Nations. "Any launch by North Korea that uses ballistic missile technology is contrary to Security Council resolutions," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres.
For his part, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that "even if they call it a satellite, launching an object that uses ballistic missile technology is clearly a violation of United Nations resolutions." The White House National Security Council spokeswoman echoed the same tone: "This launch is a flagrant violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, increases tensions and risks destabilizing the region and beyond."
Beyond that, this satellite launch takes place in a geopolitical context of high tensions. In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested, after a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, that his country could help Pyongyang build satellites. In exchange, North Korea shipped weapons to Russia for the conflict in Ukraine.